


You'll Do

by klarolineagainnaturally



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Klaroline, Klaroline Valentine's Gift Exchange, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 08:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13632846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klarolineagainnaturally/pseuds/klarolineagainnaturally
Summary: Klaroline Valentine's Gift Exchange!I hope you enjoy this short little drabble for Valentine's Day!





	You'll Do

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dani_grl82](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dani_grl82/gifts).



It was too over the top. The glitter and the fluffy edges were too much. It was pink as well which was not at all what Klaus had in mind. His fingers flicked down the stack as he sifted through the range of cards and they fell back into place with a slap each time. The tall gentleman huffed, pacing along the rows of red and pink displays in the small card shop. 

He had made the stop into the store on his way home from work. He knew that if he didn’t pick a card up when he thought of it then two days would pass and there would be a sad valentine-less woman at home. Being a Monday afternoon there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic through the place which left Klaus to peruse the store in peace. 

His unbuttoned pea coat knocked against a revolving stand of heart shaped gifts pushing it to rotate. A small key ring was knocked off its hook. The metal clinked against another display before hitting the grey carpet fob-first. The sandy-blond haired man crouched to pick it up, pausing for a moment to read the fancy lettering inside the flimsy plastic. 

“You’re the key to my heart – so can I ring you later?” he muttered as he read along, rising to stand again. 

He groaned and rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t know, I don’t really give my number to strangers,” a playful, unfamiliar voice replied. 

Startled, he blinked a couple times and turned to face the stranger. A fair-skinned blonde stood, name tag attached to the white button-up blouse tucked into her casual jeans, and smiled warmly. 

“Not a fan of the puns, I see,” she commented, a glint in her bright blue eyes. 

He cleared his throat, shoving his hands into his pockets, “A little too…vomit-inducing for my tastes. I’m not really into this whole,” he waved his hands around, ”thing.” 

A soft giggle escaped her and she pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, “Not a romantic? So then who’s the lucky gal…or guy you’re getting a valentine for this year?” 

Klaus tossed the key ring in his hand to a satisfying clinking noise. He laughed, “Gal. And it’s for my mother.” 

“Oh…I didn’t realise the Brits were into that sort of thing,” she pressed her lips together to hold her grin and wandered to sort a shelf of displaced cards. 

Witty. He gave into a chuckle, naturally following behind, “Well, we try to keep that under wraps but now you know the secret. I guess I’ll show you to your dungeon.” 

“Funny,” she complimented, focused on her task at hand, “Hm. That’s nice of you to get your mother a card.” 

He admired her focused stance with the shelves. She seemed intent on making meticulous displays, placing the cards perfectly up right with no leanings of any kind. 

“It’s the least I can do for her since my horrid father passed,” he replied, placing the key ring onto its holder, “Unfortunately, all I’m finding is the cutesy ’you’re the peanut butter to my jelly’ drivel.” 

She laughed, her light blonde curls sliding down her back, “Drivel? I think it’s sweet.” 

The blonde moved along the displays, adjusting a glittery sign above, “What did you have in mind then?” 

“Uh…” he pondered, looking up for a moment with his hands behind his back, “Something that says, ‘I’m mildly fond of you. You’re an adequate mother’. Something like that.” 

Her eyebrow raised and she still kept her back to him, meandering around the displays. Klaus followed once more. She began to shuffle through a number of displays, “And this is for your mother? Wow…I wonder what you’d get for an actual date.” 

He leaned to peer over her shoulder a little, “I assure you there would be no cards involved. Maybe some champagne and leather…but no cards.” 

Her sarcastic laugh filled the shop as she pulled out a medium-sized card from the display. 

“Tell that to your mother,” she responded, her hair whipping as she turned to face him. She pressed the card in her hand against his chest firmly, “There.” 

Klaus smirked and pulled the card up to read, “‘To a loving mother, happy Valentine’s Day’. Perfect. Thank you,” he paused to read her name tag, “Caroline.” 

“You’re welcome…customer?” Caroline gave a fake smile before strutting off elsewhere in the store. 

One corner of his lips tugged up in amusement and just like that he gravitated to follow her. Her eyes were a magnetic bright blue that pierced his being. He liked a good old fashioned challenge. 

“It’s Klaus. Although my mother calls me Niklaus and my siblings call me Nik,” he clarified, grin still on his face. 

“Wow, three names. I only got the one,” she rolled her eyes, picking up a large box filled with stuffed toys. 

“Did I say something wrong?” he asked, puppy eyes showing. Caroline glanced, pursing her lips before dropping the box with a thud. 

“You know, some people really like Valentine’s Day and if you tried to understand…humans in general then you’d know that a sense of romance is required and not just…champagne and leather,” she said coldly but with just enough cheek in her voice to entice him. 

“Well champagne is romantic! And leather can come in handy later on in the night,” he joked, holding his hands up in defeat at her unamused reaction, “I’m just not a fan of romance, that’s all.” 

“What’s so wrong with romance? You get to show someone how much you love them,” she frowned, picking a plushie up from the box, “Then you know, later on you can bring out the champagne and…leather.” 

Klaus bit his lip but faltered with a low laugh, “I suppose.” 

He took small elephant with heart shaped ears and scrunched up his nose, “It’s all of this romantic pun nonsense! It’s everywhere and quite frankly it’s not appealing. I mean, ‘Cardly’ is the name of the shop! What is that even meant to be? A pun, no doubt.” 

Caroline took the stuffed toy from his hand and placed it on a shelf along with the other toy, “I’ll have you know, puns are _supposed _to make you cringe. That’s the point. Then you laugh and make fun of each other before sharing a loving kiss.”__

____

She then folded her arms defiantly, her small stature bringing a grin to his lips. 

“And if you wish to know so much, ‘Cardly’ _is _a pun. As in, ‘I can _Cardly _wait to see you’. I came up with it myself,” she continued on, nodding at the end of her words.____

_____ _

__

Her explanation only made him groan loudly and spin around dramatically, “Oh my god. You’ve actually ruined puns. How is that even possible?!” 

Caroline couldn’t help but giggle, hand on hip, “By your standards there was nothing to ruin.” 

“True,” he shrugged, “I just…all this lovey dovey stuff feels to forced – see, now look at this card,” he paused to pick out a card from a side rack, “Now this is truthful.” 

He held out a plain white card with pink solid lettering on the front that said ‘You’ll Do’ in all capital letters. 

“Everyone tries to act like Valentine’s is this magical day when in fact it’s a day for women to scramble about in desperation to avoid being alone,” he informed her. 

She laughed, rolling her eyes, “And which desperate woman will you be giving that to then this Valentine’s?” 

Klaus hummed, placing the card back, “Unfortunately, no one this year. Maybe if I subscribe to the punny theme you sell in this store I’ll find one next year.” 

“Maybe—or you know,” she began, “My friend’s club is holding a singles’ event. If you just want to drink champagne and find a girl that’s into leather then I’m sure you’ll find one there. I’ll get you a flyer.” 

Caroline moved straight towards to checkout area with Klaus trailing behind, devilish smile playing at his lips. The store was relatively small but not so much so that one couldn’t move around with ease. 

He took notice of her perfect postured strut past the aisles and to the small cashier's desk. She pulled a large paper flyer off from a pile and held it out to him. 

"Five dollar entry, tequila shots are ten dollars for two—so if you manage to find a date there you can get her drunk and show her whatever form of romance you've got in you," she said in a bold manner. 

"Hmm..." he took the flyer, tapping against the top header. 'Desperation Dance' was the title in red, blood-dripping letters. He snickered at the poster design and its straightforwardness in admitting the sham that was Valentine's Day. However, despite this he felt himself more intrigued by the fiery blonde in front of him. 

"Will you be attending this...desperation dance?" he enquired, raising an eyebrow. 

Caroline's tongue grazed the top of her teeth and she moved to stand behind the counter. 

"Most likely," she replied with a grin, "Although, I'm not desperate." 

"And I am?" Klaus kept his eyebrow raised, leaning onto the counter. 

"Well, having your mother as your Valentine is sweet but--," she replied jokingly. 

He smiled, folding up the flyer, "Well if I do see you there, are you willing to take a chance with me, Caroline?" 

She felt the heat in her cheeks appear instantly but shook her head, "I'm sure I've made it clear enough that I'm more into guys with a...romantic flair." 

"I assure you I'm capable of having that flair for someone like you," he said softly, making eye contact with her. 

His smugness was so irritating yet so attractive to her that Caroline couldn't help falling into his eyes for a moment. She blinked a couple times and stood up straight. 

With a clearing of her throat she spoke, "That'll be four dollars for the card." 

He chuckled as he pulled out his wallet, handing over a few notes. She gently took the notes, placing them in the cash register. 

Klaus held the card up with grin, “I guess I’ll see you in two days’ time.” 

He backed away towards the exit, amused at her efforts to stay straight faced, “Just you watch.” 

Caroline sucked a breath in to maintain her composure. As the door shut behind him with the ringing of a bell she spread her upper half across the counter. 

“What just happened?” she mumbled to herself. 

The bell rang again but Caroline only slightly turned her head to the newcomer. 

"Uh, Care?" 

"Hey, Katherine." 

Katherine was a thin, model-like woman whose mahogany hair could easily distract any man. And it did. Multiple times. She had bought Caroline her first alcoholic drink, taken her to her first strip club (not that that was something she had wanted to do) and even let her try her first cigarette. Suffice to say Katherine had a habit of what she liked to call 'friendly peer-pressure'. 

"Hey...you dead?" 

"Just about. Give me two more minutes of thinking about what just happened and I'll be a goner," Caroline sighed, resting her head on the palms of her hands. 

"Wanna tell me about it?" the brunette asked, leaning sideways against the counter. 

The blonde huffed, "I was comfortable being the second-choice gal and I accepted that maybe no one will ever make the effort for me. Then mister fancy-pants walks in with his romance-hating, ridiculously attractive self and is all like 'oh, Caroline, I can be romantic for you. Won't you take a chance?'. Like, what is going on with the world right now?" 

A smile played at Katherine's lips as she watched her friend ramble on and she laughed at her poor imitation of a British-accent. 

"Well," she began smugly, "Sounds like someone's got an admirer now." 

She groaned, "But I don't know if I want this—like, a relationship." 

"Who said you had to want that? What was it you used to say? Boy likes girl. Girl likes boy. Sex?" Katherine smirked, poking at the blonde's head. 

Caroline frowned, rubbing her head gently, "Using my own words against me, not cool." 

"Just let it happen," she advised her, walking off to the back room. 

"As long as you're working that bar, I don't care," she shouted to Caroline's slight dismay. Being a bartender for the night was not going to be fun but at least she could keep a minimum of two feet between herself and Klaus. Whether she wanted that she hadn't entirely decided. 

\---------------------  
\---------------------  
\---------------------

"Remind me why we're going to a singles' club on Valentine's day? I thought you had no problems in that department?" 

Klaus grinned, clutching a small bouquet of roses in his hands, "I don't dispute that fact but I'm after something a little different tonight, Stefan." 

He and Stefan made their way through the sweaty people on the dance floor to the bar in the middle. 

"You look ridiculous," Stefan said loudly over the booming music. 

"Thanks, I really tried," Klaus held a hand to his heart. He rested the bouquet on the bar as they brought themselves to a standstill. 

"And how are you going to find this girl in this huge crowd?" 

"Skill, Stefan, skill." 

\---------------------  
\---------------------  
\---------------------

"Holy shi--" Caroline crouched beside the large pillar in the middle. 

"What?" Katherine's eyes widened, "Oh." 

The brunette cleared her throat and confidently strode over to the two gentlemen standing at the bar. 

"And what can I do for you two?" She grinned widely, hand on hip. 

"I'll take a scotch--" 

"We're good, just waiting for someone," Klaus cut Stefan off, who frowned. 

Katherine laughed, "Alright, fancy pants. And a scotch for you...?" 

"Stefan." 

"Coming right up," she winked, grabbing a glass, "You're waiting for Caroline, right?" 

At this point Caroline had clumsily sneaked her way to crouch beside Katherine. Her ears peaked in interest as she heard her name. 

"Yeah..." Klaus answered, squinting a little, "So you must be the friend who owns this place?" 

"That'd be me. And you're fancy pants." 

Caroline grimaced, covering her face. 

"Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"I mean—look at you. The people here didn't come tonight to do anything other than dance, drink and get laid. Yet you show up in a suit and tie? Come on," she laughed, dropping the ice into the glass before pouring the scotch with ease. 

"She's not here," said firmly, pushing the drink towards Stefan, "Why are you trying to go after my best friend, anyway?" 

Klaus frowned, "Believe it or not...I fancy her," he continued with a hint of smile, "She's got...some light within her." 

Caroline was pulled out of her daze by his kind words. Perhaps she had accepted a lonely fate too early. She still felt suspicious over his eagerness to 

"Hey, lady! Can we get served over here if you're not too busy crawling on the floor?" 

Caroline winced, unable to avoid their words once she had accidentally made eye contact. She slowly pulled herself up, awkwardly smiling at Katherine and the familiar face. 

"Lost my uh—earring. Yeah--" she nodded rapidly before rushing to the customer across the bar. 

Throughout the customer's requests Caroline nodded. She subconsciously understood, beginning to make the drinks. However, all she could think about was how embarrassed she felt. Her whole spiel about the earrings and the look on Katherine's face. She didn't even want to look at Klaus because she knew she'd see a huge smirk permanently plastered to his face. 

She set up the card machine for the customer, staring into space as he made his transaction. 

"I see you found your earring." 

Caroline looked up to meet Klaus' eyes, shifting uncomfortably, "Yeah—they can't seem to stay in long enough." 

He took the place directly in front of her as the previous customer made his way onto the dancefloor. 

"I'll admit I was a little disappointed when your friend told me you weren't her," he looked at her sadly, "Are you trying to avoid me, Caroline?" 

She laughed at his big, sad eyes, "You'll admit that?" She paused, "And maybe yeah—yeah I am trying to avoid you." 

"Why is that?" 

"Well..." 

_Well, I'm emotionally fragile in terms of relationships and every guy I've been with has used me as a prop to make someone else jealous or as a rebound when all else failed. _She thought.__

____

____

"Why are you so dressed up anyway, huh?" Caroline folded her arms. 

Klaus pulled the flowers from behind his back. He chuckled quietly, holding out the small bouquet to her, "I told you I could do romance." 

She stared at the flowers, biting her lip as she took them into her hands. The last time anyone had done that for her was out of apology and not an actual desire to show love. While it did niggle at her that the bouquet was wrapped in a brown paper rather than a white plastic (like in her many fantasies), she felt her heart heave in appreciation. 

"Not...bad..." She nodded slowly. 

"I told you. I might hate it but maybe the romance thing isn't so horrible after all," he shrugged, his boyish smile on show. 

"Well you're not bad at it," she paused, "Did you mean what you said?" 

"Hm?" 

"You uh," she laughed nervously, "Fancy me?" 

Klaus nodded confidently, "Scout's honour as they say." 

"Well—I have something for you too," she muttered. 

She pulled out a thin card from underneath the bar, sliding it across to him while avoiding his eyes. He took a long look, smirking at the familiar 'You'll Do' card he had seen days prior in the store. 

"Is that so?" He asked, "Well then, I guess I--" 

His attention was diverted long enough for Caroline to gain the courage to yank him forward by the tie into a kiss. Her heart was racing as she did so. 

"I felt the need to keep it on hand," she muttered in between the movement of their lips. 

Letting the kiss naturally end, she cleared her throat and looked away. Klaus only grinned, pleased with what his efforts had gained him. 

"Damn. I really should have brought some champagne."


End file.
